Sunday Reflections [Todd]

Today was one of the top three days in Next Level's history, in my humble opinion. Here's why..

-Dozens of people baptized. That NEVER gets old. Standing out in the heat watching person after person and story after story...wow. And thanks to the couple of hundred folks who hung out in oppressive heat to watch it all happen.

-OK, we had the second biggest technology trainwreck in our history. Or maybe the third. Don't ask about number one. Number two is funny in retrospect, so funny we forget that there could have been mass electrocutions. (Ask an old-timer about that story from our first year in Ballantyne days). Anyway, for reasons I am unqualified to understand, we had nothing on the screens for the first service. No song lyrics, no videos (and there were some amazing videos on the tarmac for today), no image of the teacher or the band. Three screens with no nothin'.

Awkward.

But here is what happened. We got through it. And the incredible production team, with everyone pitching in, got us back to nearly full capacity by the second service. Imagine this. They had to switch out computers (Mac to PC), and reformat and reconvert everything! I was there for most of the time. No tension, no snapping, no panicking. Just calm people working together and even encouraging each others. It was one of my proudest NLC moments.

-We had more people in that building than at any time except for Christmas Eve and Easter. Folks, in the middle of August, This. Does. Not. Happen.

-Every single bookbag for the Rock Rest students was taken - all 600! Wow! You guys are amazing and Melissa and her team are a force of nature. Now, let's make sure to get them all back in and filled next Sunday. We have your name. We will hunt you down. ;)

- We have now got a total of forty volunteers for the Car and Home Repair Teams. Guys, you know how to Give Love Away! The Give:Love Project is rapidly becoming the core of our existence as a church. Favorite conversation of the day..."I love what we are doing in the Free Love Project". Ahem.

-We rolled out the Next Steps Wheel, making it crystal clear how to take your next steps for deeper involvement at NLC. Where are you in the wheel? What's your next step?

-I will never get tired of listening to Dan Southerland teach. In spite of the fact that he cracks 'old' jokes about himself, he is the anti-curmudgeon - relevant, funny, compassionate, SO great at applying the Bible to real life. I am grateful to call him friend.

-And, last night, we got Harrison and Emily and Jake married (for those of you not NLC people, Jake is Emily's - now Emily and Harrison's son - I am not referring to some sort of alternative marriage deal). One of my favorite weddings ever.

-This was a LONG weekend. But packed with amazing stuff. Nights like this, I can't believe I get to do what I get to do, with the people I get to do it with. Calling me grateful doesn't do it justice...